WWW/Internet - Portal do Software Público Brasileiro

ISBN: 978-972-8939-25-0 © 2010 IADIShaving different roles in a specific domain are described. These common characteristics are related to theknowledge-related activities specific to the domain and to the structure of the web space associated to theWIS. From the definition of IM 2 L, domain-specific object languages – called G-IM 2 L - can be derived. Eachsuch language is tailored to be highly productive in defining web spaces for a specific problem domain.Therefore, for each application domain, one G-IM 2 L language can be derived. A set of documents written inG-IM 2 L describes a web space for a particular domain and a specific role in the domain3). The configuration level comprises two sublevels: the culture localization and platform materializationsublevels. End users having the same role in the same domain may belong to different cultures and may usedifferent platforms to interact with the WIS. The configuration level localizes the web space defined at thedomain level to the culture of the end user and to the platform s/he is using. The configuration level issupported by the definition of two languages – Localization Markup Language (LML) that addresses theculture and Template Language (TL) which addresses the platform.4). The instance level comprises instances of a WIS defined at the domain and configuration level andmaterialized on a specific platform. At this level, the end user can access the WIS, explore it as a web spaceand interact with the tools offered within it to perform the activities of interest to him/her.5). The system level comprises the family of WISs addressing the same domain, but diverse end users(with different roles and cultures) and platforms.2.1 Meta-model LevelIM 2 L is a XML-based meta-language whose specification allows the derivation of domain-specific languageswhich describe WISs as web spaces localized to a domain. Within a web space, the end user can live someexperiences and make events happen (Borchers, 2001) by performing knowledge-related activities whichallow the externalization of implicit knowledge. IM 2 L describes the rules for defining the characteristics andthe refined structure of web spaces (Alexander, 1977). IM 2 L meta-language prescribes how to define domainspecificlanguages which allow the description of WISs abstracting from the end users’ roles, cultures andplatforms in use. In this way, IM 2 L defines an abstraction model which allows the design and theimplementation of personalized instances of WISs which allow their localization to a domain, and end user’srole and culture and a platform. To express the model, we unify and group together the commoncharacteristics of different knowledge activities based on a knowledge base which must be created,maintained and updated. The activity of managing the knowledge base is the annotation, which allows endusers to update it by adding comments next to data in order to highlight this data’s meaning (Costabile,2007). Therefore, annotation supports and enhances the communication, as well as the knowledgeproduction.IM 2 L defines a web space as superimposing a set of specialized subspaces: infoSpace, workspace,operatorSpace, messageSpace and transparentSpace. An entity (Costabile, 2007) e 2 – in this case, aspecialized subspace - is superimposed to another entity e 1 – in this case, the spaces - when e 2 belongs to e1and every action on both the entities is only handled by e 2 and does not reach e 1 (Bottoni, 1997). Theclassification of spaces is made on the basis of the pattern of events made available by each space. AninfoSpace allows the end user to get directions on how to navigate through the space and understand it.Examples of entities superimposed to an infoSpace are labels and titleBars. A workSpace is the working areaof the system, in which the end user develops activities of interest to her/him, including annotating theknowledge base. As example, the workSpace in an application like Google Maps is the entity on the screencontaining the map. The operatorSpace permits the end user to interact with the system. A toolbar is aconcrete example of operatorSpace, met in a large variety of web systems. The messageSpace allows the enduser to receive feedback from the system s/he interacts with. As concrete example, a warning message issuperimposed to a messageSpace.Each type of space superimposes entities – possibly other spaces – which define it and allow the end userto perform activities within it. Each entity is defined by a set of characteristics, N = {ID, DESC, T, D, IS, C,S} where:a). ID uniquely identifies the entity.b). DESC shortly describes the entity.c). T denotes the type of the entity.114